Bikers to ride 10 days for veterans

Kim Palaferri/Auburn JournalJoin the ride yourself
For more information on how to join the National Veterans Awareness Ride, visit www.nvar.us, or call state coordinator Rick Dyer for more information (530) 306-7736

Kim Palaferri/Auburn JournalRick Dyer is gearing up for the National Veterans Awareness Ride with his buddies. They are leaving Auburn in May and will ride to Washington D.C in 10 days, visiting veterans in hospitals and homes along the way and teaching in schools about the importance of remembering veterans.

Engines roaring, chrome gleaming and leathers on, a convoy of motorcycle riders is taking off from Auburn on their annual pilgrimage to Washington D.C. to honor veterans.
They said other locals are invited to sign up and join the ride.
Rick Dyer and John O’Mara, both of Placerville and Wayne Worden, of Auburn, are among the more than 40 riders that will begin their journey at Auburn Veterans Memorial Hall May 16. They are joining other riders from across the country, and even across the world. Along the way they’ll stop to visit veterans in hospitals and homes and teach students about the importance of remembering U.S. military veterans.
“I talked to one veteran who said he only gets one visit a year and it’s this ride,” Worden said. “For the students of this country there is a tendency not to be taught in history about the realities of war.”
Dyer, the state coordinator of the ride, will be one of six people who have the honor of placing a flag at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery. Dyer, who served during the Vietnam War, said with so many veterans coming home from the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars, the ride’s message is as relevant as ever.
“It’s important for our government to continue to support them,” Dyer said. “They are constantly trying to take benefits away and we have a lot of young men and women coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan and we need to make sure our voice is heard. We need to make sure they receive what is due to them.”
To raise awareness locally, the riders are asking those who want to show their support for veterans to line the streets to see them off. He said the group was greeted by supporters as they rode through Nebraska and would like to see Auburn show their military pride as well.
“There was an overpass filled with people waving flags,” Dyer said.
The Auburn Jeep Club is preparing breakfast for the riders before they leave at 8 a.m.
“When a war is over there is a real tendency to just forget about it and not remember what happened,” Worden said. “We need to remember or we will continue to repeat the mistakes.”
Reach Sara Seyydin at saras@goldcountrymedia.com, or follow her on Twitter @AJ_News.
______________________________________________________See the riders off
What: National Veterans Awareness Ride 2012 ride start
When: 7:30 a.m., Wednesday, May 16
Where: Auburn Veterans Memorial Hall, 100 East Street, Auburn
Event Details: A convoy of motorcyclist representing the National Veterans Awareness Organization will be greeted at the Auburn Veterans Memorial Hall before they begin their 10-day ride from Auburn to Washington D.C. The group seeks to bring awareness and recognition to U.S. military veterans and POW/MIAs.
______________________________________________________
Join the ride yourself
For more information on how to join the National Veterans Awareness Ride, visit www.nvar.us, or call state coordinator Rick Dyer for more information (530) 306-7736